


An Overdue Conversation

by AnUnknownForeignBeauty



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Another family heirloom, Before the final proposal, Conversation about the past, Eugene's mother, F/M, Gen, Post Season 3, Some heart-to-heart talk, father-son bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-18
Updated: 2020-03-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:54:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23205043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnUnknownForeignBeauty/pseuds/AnUnknownForeignBeauty
Summary: Post-season 3: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventures. Before the final proposal, Eugene has some heart-to-heart conversations with his father. Possibly something about his past.
Relationships: Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel, King Edmund/The dark queen
Comments: 3
Kudos: 36





	An Overdue Conversation

They stood in the balcony. The sky above was purpled by dusk, and the mixture of sound, sweat, and cheers of the town people filled the spring air with the heavy perfume of life, in all its abundance. It had been exhausting two weeks. They were still rebuilding the kingdom after the war; it was good to hear all the familiar sounds, see all the familiar faces running across the city without fear, without any black rocks sprouting here and there.

Eugene Fitzherbert glanced at the woman beside him. Rapunzel's keen green eyes were taking in the scene below, her crown gleaming in the setting sun atop her head. Eugene gently ran his hand through the jagged end of Rapunzel's now short brown hair. Rapunzel met his eyes with an affectionate smile and turned her attention to the cheering crowd below. Her smile was confident as she waved at the crowd below. A lot of things happened in the last two years. She had grown so much, Eugene wondered, so much different than the naïve girl he met in the tower two years ago.

"You know we can always take a break." Eugene kissed her ear. "Wanna sneak out?"

"Umm, no..." She answered without looking back. Eugene's face fell. Rapunzel noticed, and turned to look at the man beside her, trying to put on a serious face, but immediately broke into a smile, "But if only you bring me a celebratory cupcake, I can go with you tonight."

Her smile was so contagious that a smile crossed the former thief's lips too. He grinned and pulled her closer. "As you wish, your highness. Now which flavor you will prefer? Lemon or banana?"

"You know I hate both of them," Rapunzel murmured.

"I can get you a lemon-flavored one." Eugene grinned, and Rapunzel playfully punched his chest. Eugene caught her hand and placed over his heart. God knew how much he loved this woman. Many things had changed in the last two years, but only one thing didn't change. His love for Rapunzel. And in the light of the dying sun, her lips looked so inviting…

"Princess," Two of them jumped apart as the door behind them cracked open. Faith, the new handmaid Rapunzel had chosen after Cassandra walked in. She caught the disheveled appearances of both the princess and the captain and lowered her eyes immediately. "Umm.." She hesitated a bit, "Your presence is required in the throne room, your highness." She finally spoke.

"Ugh! Work.." Rapunzel couldn't but notice the disappointed look in Eugene's face, and kissed his cheeks gently, "Don't worry, I will join you soon."

"Don't worry sunshine." Eugene kissed her forehead, "I will be fine."

"Yeah." Rapunzel gave him another quick kiss and disappeared with Faith. Eugene watched her go and sighed. Unknowingly he patted his trouser pocket. The ring he had been carrying for the last two years was gone. Probably lost sometime during the fight with Zan Tiri. Eugene was not worried about that. He could get another ring. But the real question was, was it the right time?

"Son," His father said behind him.

Eugene quickly straightened his uniform collar and turned his gaze towards the crowd below. King Edmund stepped beside his son. Looking at his son's worried face; he quietly leaned over the railing beside him.

"Thinking about asking her again?" The king said softly, tearing his gaze from the cheering crowd below.

If it was like other times, Eugene would refuse to share another word with his long-lost father. But after their confrontation in the black rock tower, he was trying to open up with his father more. He understood the sacrifice his father made for him for the last twenty-six years, and how lonely he was. Though it was still new, sometimes it was really great to have someone to open up to, to seek advice from.

"After everything that happened, I am really worried about asking her now." Eugene sighed, meeting his father's gaze, "I am not even sure if it is the right time."

"But are you hesitant about asking Rapunzel?" Edmund worriedly gazed back to Eugene's face, "Is everything alright between you two?"

Eugene, who had forgotten about his father's habit of over-interpreting things, smiled reassuringly at the worried man, but her mind was on a different matter: "I was just wondering how did you ask mom."

King Edmund's head snapped with his son's question. He tore his gaze away from Eugene's eyes and looked away. In the last six months since they found each other, Edmund had filled him in with a lot of details about his ancestry, but for once he had never mentioned anything about his wife. Watching the pained expression in his father's eyes, Eugene quickly took a step back. "It's alright, Dad if you don't want to share…"

"No, son." King Edmund looked back at him again and smiled. In the last glow of the setting sun, Eugene could see a drop of tear glistening at the corner of his eyes.

"I am sorry, Dad," Eugene replied hesitantly, though inside he wanted to hold his father tightly in his arms, tell him it was alright. Instead, he took a step towards the door, "If you need a moment alone…"

"Wait, son." He was stopped by his father's hand over his shoulder. "I am sorry that I have not spoken about your mother before. You have the right to know everything." Eugene looked into his father's identical brown eyes, trying to read his thoughts, but they seemed so distant. Eugene only hoped that he had not hurt his father too badly by bringing up his mother.

"I never asked her to marry me." King Edmund said.

Eugene's head jerked around and he stared at his father. "You never asked her?" He blinked, "Sorry, I am confused."

"Because," Edmund's eyes became soft as he saw the confusion in his face, "I did not know your mother when we got married. Besides, who would want to marry a man who dedicated his life to protect something that had the power to destroy everything? Our marriage was arranged." Edmund smiled at his son. His face filled with such a warm glow that Eugene had never seen before. "I fell in love with her when she soothed me after I lost your grandfather to the moonstone. I fell in love when she was the only one to stand by my idea of destroying the moonstone when everybody else opposed it. When we had you, it only grew stronger. Her love was so true that she refused to leave when I ordered to evacuate the kingdom after my first attempt to destroy the moonstone. A year later I lost her due to my foolishness. And also you, son."

Eugene was shocked by his father's simple confession. He never had such a heart to heart conversation with his father, especially about the woman they both lost. He didn't remember her face, the only image of his mother he had was a glimpse of the portrait in the dining hall of the Dark Kingdom. He was not lucky to see the love his parents shared; but he could feel the tenderness in his father's voice whenever he spoke of her, the tear in the supposedly tough father's eyes. Suddenly his heart ached for the mother he never met.

"You still miss her." Eugene walked beside him and placed his arm on his good hand, "I wish I could remember her." Eugene sighed as Edmund wiped his eyes with the corner of his cape.

"She would be very proud if she met you now." Edmund smiled, and the two men leaned against the railing in silence, watching the town people carrying out the reconstruction work below.

"But she wanted to have you something." Suddenly Edmund took Eugene's hand and placed something in his palm which surprised him. He never expected to find a gold ring, encrusted with six tiny diamonds in his hand. He raised the ring in the light and found a tiny engraving inside.

_Alexis_

"Is that mom's name?" Eugene asked his father, eyes wide. He had never spoken of his mother's name in the last six months they spent together.

"Yes," A sad smile crossed King Edmund's face, "I wanted to give her this ring on our second anniversary. I hoped everything will be alright after I could destroy the moonstone. You know I never got a chance to propose her. But she really deserved one. I was waiting for the right time, but you know…the time never came." Edmund gently placed a hand along Eugene's cheek, "So don't wait, son."

Eugene wrapped his fingers around the ring. A strange lump was forming inside his throat. As much as he wanted to swallow it, he could not. Edmund caressed his cheek once more and turned to leave.

"I know you never wanted to keep anything I gave you. But I hope you will keep this ring. It was your mother's last memory." Edmund gathered his cape closer, "I will be leaving for the Dark Kingdom tomorrow with the Brotherhood."

Eugene walked near to his father and wrapped his arms around his shoulders. "Promise me, we will never lose touch again." Eugene never considered himself as an emotional person, but to his embracement, a drop of tear slid from his eyes over his father's shoulder. "I will miss you."

Edmund knew how much his son resented him not keeping in touch for the last twenty-five years, and nothing could make up all those years. And now when the dam of their emotions broke, he held his son close, and let him sob on his shoulder. Then he looked into his eyes, and said, "Promise me, son, you will be happy."

This time, Eugene smiled. He hugged his father tight, and whispered, "I will, Dad."

And he knew he would be. With Rapunzel by his side, he would never be unhappy.

Tonight, he would ask her again.

And this time with his mother's ring.

**Author's Note:**

> I just finished watching Tangled the series, and I am in love with it. I really love the revelation about Eugene's past. I wish they highlighted his mother a bit more.
> 
> Errors are all mine. English isn't my first language, so consider nicely.  
> I might explore more about the post season 3 Dark Kingdom if you want.


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